SNMP v2

The Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) was first standardized in 1988 with SNMPv1. It quickly became a management standard for a wide range of applications and network device administration and is currently the de facto network-management protocol in the Internet community as well as among LAN and smaller network administrators.

But SNMPv1 has been criticized for its poor security, because authentication of clients is performed only by a type of password which is transmitted in clear text. Any data or text sent in the "clear" can possibly be intercepted by someone with a packet sniffer with a resulting loss of security for the network and the administrator.

This security vulnerability was recognized early on, but SNMPv1 was approved based on the idea that it was an interim protocol needed for taking steps towards large scale deployment of the Internet. At that time, standardized authentication and security was discouraged by protocol design groups because the Internet as we know it was in an early growing phase and security was seen as possibly needed much farther along.

SNMP version 2 (SNMPv2) is an evolution of the initial version SNMPv1. Originally, SNMPv2 was published as a set of proposed Internet standards in 199, and thousands of network devices available are SNMPv2-aware and are managed by management software that is SNMPv2 capable.

SNMPv2 offers a number of improvements to SNMPv1, including additional protocol operations. But SNMPv2 is incompatible with SNMPv1 in two areas: message formats and protocol operations. SNMPv2c messages use different header and protocol data unit formats from SNMPv1 messages. SNMPv2c also uses two protocol operations that are not specified in SNMPv1.

Even though some message and operators are different, all versions of SNMP - SNMPv1, SNMPv2c, and SNMPv3 - share the same basic structure, components and architecture.

Ipswitch WhatsUp Gold’s network management software provides the monitoring flexibility and comprehensive coverage you need. It extends full support for industry standard SNMP v1-3 and WMI based infrastructure monitoring covering most network devices - routers, switches, servers, firewalls - and systems infrastructure (e.g. Unix, Linux hosts) and all Windows based systems, both physical and virtual.

In addition to its dynamic monitoring tools, WhatsUp Gold provides you with a complete set of web-based SNMP network tools to simplify configuration and management: SNMP MIB Explorer; SNMP MIB Manager; SNMP MIB Walker; AutoMIB; and customizable SNMP monitors.